


Down By Ash Street

by TCD101



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Children of Hecate, Demigods, Half-Sibling Incest, Magic, New York City
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-17 20:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17567594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TCD101/pseuds/TCD101
Summary: Andrew Southerford, a child of Hecate, is in for the ride of his life. Kronos has awoken and is amassing an army to take and destroy Olympus. It's times like these where men find out what they've got going on the inside. But, Andrew will find out he is far stronger than he could have ever dreamed. Titan Army, here we come!





	1. Chapter 1

It took me a long time to internalize and accept the feeling of fear. I used to think that fear was a sign of weakness, that it should be left seating in the back of my mind. A combination of fighting and running from literal fucking nightmares made flesh over the past few years had taught me otherwise. It was the closest friend I had; and, most importantly, the only friend that could be a check on any reckless behavior on my part.

 

Nowadays, I live my life with the intensity that my situation demands. I am a high school student with a respectable GPA. (It doesn't have a two in the front of it you were wondering.) I'm a theatre kid by trade and a huge Fantasy RPG enthusiast. I'm athletic. Sure, I might not have recruiters breathing down my neck 24/7 but I can hold my own in chainmail, hide armor, or full plate. I've multi-classed: Fighter (One-handed Sword)/Mage with an Abjurer specialization. I'm a fucking child of Hecate. A demigod for crying out loud. Nothing can stand in my way.

 

At least not anymore.

 

I'm content with my cozy suburban life just outside NYC. My family's house is about 20-25 miles from the City. In NJ. It might not be the real thing but honestly, housing prices in the City are fucking absurd; and, with the Recession in full swing, my parents thought that it just wasn't worth the struggle. Thank the Gods. Every step further away from the Empire State Building, I can manage, the easier it is for me to get to sleep at night.

 

Speaking of sleep, I am in desperate need of a nice bath and a half day's rest. I spent the last 2 days on a project for my Humanities class. Since I was the new kid, I didn't have anyone else with whom I could work; so, my teacher assigned me to the group with the fewest number of members. I was cautiously optimistic. They seemed like nice guys. Unfortunately, my group was made up of a bunch of lazy assholes who were more interested in playing COD than doing anything productive. Apparently, strong work ethic had to be fostered. It could not be taught overnight.

 

I was pissed, but I was willing to do the work. After a brief admission of foul play on their part, we came to an agreement. If they opened one of their homes to me, then I would do my damnedest to complete the assignment to the best of my ability. And besides, it wasn't that difficult. After all, this was only an Honors course. Nothing too strenuous.

 

Today was the second to last day until the assignment was due. I was relatively close to completing the entire thing. I figured that if we completed it today, then we could practice our presentation the following afternoon. Outside of the obligatory two or three pages of filler thrown at us every day, my other work could wait until the weekend to complete.

 

I got up off my bed and put on the clothes that I had worn to school earlier in the day. I hated leaving my plush pillows and blankets, but I would not abandon the idiots in their hour of need. If I wanted to gain a foothold in this town, I had to start somewhere.

 

I packed my backpack with the essentials: pencils, pens, ink (for incantations), my trusty-dusty notebook, my laptop, some parchment, my grimoire, and, of course, my Spellblade.

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Spellblade?

 

Yes, a Spellblade. A blade that doubles as a wand. Crazy, I know. I'm not quite sure exactly how they are made, but I can confirm that my mother literally bakes her magic into the Celestial Bronze in order to make. Mine is not like Weird Al's blade nor was it like anyone else's blade. All blades are unique, made with the intent of crafting a perfect fit for each of her children's fighting styles. After I got a Spellblade, everything was smooth sailing. It was tied to me spiritually. I could summon it at will.

 

The only problem being that in order for her to be willing to give one to me, I had to have a fighting style with which she could work her magic.

 

My mother was a hard woman.

 

I zipped up my bag, put my jacket on, and check my clock. It read:

 

4:32 pm

 

Perfect. Just in time for the bus up Oak Street.

 

I went down the stairs and went into the kitchen. Then, I took my keys off the kitchen counter. Since no one was home, I had to be the one to make sure the house was secure. I checked the thermostat, the oven and stove, the windows (including the bathroom windows), the basement, and all five of the back door locks for any irregularities. When you were a demigod, you had to be thorough. When I deemed the house sufficient, I walked out the front door, turned around, closed the door and spoke the magic words.

 

“Sero,” I said with authority, being sure not to draw too much attention. The door did as I commanded.

 

I headed down the path toward the bus stop just a couple blocks down from the house. A chill ran down my body. I had just passed the wards for Protection Against Evil that I had set around my house. The game was on now. But I was not alone. With fear in my heart and my Spellblade at the ready, I went down Ash Street.

 

Little did I know I would not come back home for quite some time.


	2. Thursday, October 28th, 2008 5:23 pm

The bus stopped just a few blocks from the kid's house and I started making my way toward his cul-de-sac. Donovan was a scraggly little fucker, but I had to admit his parents had a great sense when it came to location. Their house was just far enough north of the Minanter Line, the line that marked the divide between South End and the Little City, that they avoided the high taxes of the south while living relatively close to Watch Hill High School. My Dad lacked that combination of wisdom and dumb luck. Figures, my Mother's love of black cats might have gotten the best of him.

 

The dude's house was just a few more doors down. I made a turn onto Donny's street.

 

Suddenly, I felt a shudder go through my body. I stopped dead in my tracks. My mind stopped. Then, systems went back online. I assessed my surroundings. I was fine. Nothing happened to me. This was something bigger.

 

Reality shifted.

 

I'd never felt something like that in my entire life. And I never wanted to feel that way again.

 

I started down the street once more, using the quite of the cul-de-sac as a buffer against all outside influence. I had to figure out what the fuck just happened. My survival instincts guided me towards the security that only Donny's house could provide, but my mind went into overdrive trying to posit a theory that made sense.

 

Disturbances in the Mist. An angry deity. If that was the case, then my mother was the prime suspect. After all, she was the Mist Goddess. But why? All-Hallows-Eve was just a few days away. She had been telling me that this year's festivities were going to be climatic. I wonder…

 

Zeus! Or any of the Big Three for that matter. If anything happened to one of them, life as I knew it would begin to fall apart by the seams. I remember hearing about the civil war that could have kicked off just a few years back. I wouldn't be surprised if they were back at it again; however, I doubt that the Fates would willingly weave that into the Loom considering that Zeus was the quote-on-quote Master of Fate.

 

“Hey? Are you okay?” a voice spoke, quizzically.

 

I blinked. Must concentrate. Donovan was standing in the doorway. Cap backward. Half naked. Smooth belly. And a bellyri-

 

Concentrate!

 

“I don't feel so good,” I said honestly. I cherished every opportunity I had to tell the truth about the state of my mental health. I could not tell the whole truth, but half-truths worked just fine. For my ego and my sanity.

 

“Thanks for stating the obvious, dude.” He sneered. I'd'a deck the bitch in the face if I wasn't here to stay until dusk.

 

He turned, I held my tongue and followed. I was not going to let him play the victim when I was the one who walked into this trap knowing I would be these idiots’ manservant for the duration of this assignment. If they were going to step all over me, at least I could blow up Donny-dipshits’ Wi-Fi bill and raid his refrigerator.

 

He stopped in front of a door to a small room with a flat-screen TV, surround-sound setup, and a host of DVDs on black shelves against a red-velvet backdrop. Must be their den.

 

“Dad, Andrew is here,”

 

“Nice. Gonna be in the basement or your room?” He clapped back fast. He did not seem to be in a good mood.

 

“I was hoping that we could use the livin-” he squeaked.

 

“No,” He said sharply. I was liking this guy more every minute.

 

“My room it is,” D said under his breath, deflated.

 

No sympathy here, folks. The bitch was probably upset that we're gonna have'ta work in a room that smells like corn chips.

 

We walked back toward the front door in silence. I did my best to maintain a neutral expression. Neutrality was key. I couldn't be angry; lest, I ruin my carefully crafted image of simplicity and complacency.

 

“We've got to wait for David,” He said in a calm voice. “If you could wait down here while I get my room prepared, I would be very grateful.” He looked solemn. Man, what was the deal with these two?

 

“Sure…” I said, doing my best to draw out the word. I structured my next few words very carefully. “Could you take my backpack upstairs when you go?” I plopped my bag next to the staircase, making sure it did not obstruct the path toward the den.

 

“Fine.” He heaved. He snatched the bag off the floor and marched up the stairs.

 

Such a little bitch.

 

I turned around and took a step closer to the door. It was one of those ones with windows meant for decoration, all types of weird shit on it that white people think makes them seem cultured. Thankfully, a column of windows about the size of a Hallmark card lined each side of the door. I peeked out of one to find the cul-de-sac exactly as I left it.

 

Except for a dark figure with bright blue eyes walking toward the house staring daggers at me.


	3. Thursday, October 28th, 2008 6:01 pm

Fear gripped my heart; a gasp escaped my lips, but I did not fret for long.

 

Instinct. Breath. Calm. Time slowed. And I retreated into the depths of my mind.

 

Before any potential fight, I like to imagine that I watch time go in the same way that an athlete would watch a play by play on film. Each frame carefully analyzed. Absorbed. Wielding magic was much like planning the next play. If you could not visualize what you were attempting to do, those magic words were utterly useless.

 

As a Child of Hecate, I was inherently more sensitive to the energies flowing throughout the world. The problem was that there was so much information at my fingertips it kinda muddied things. Mother made it clear to me early in my demigod career that learning how to organized that data was the key to the universe.

 

“Detect Alignment,” I thought. Low-level spells (Levels 1-2) didn't necessarily require a spoken element, though I'd encourage those outside of my Clan to stick to something along the lines of Harry Potter for maximum results. I would also encourage any magically empowered persons to make good use of this spell. It didn't take long for me to realize that monsters can come in all shapes and sizes. Generally speaking, demigods like me got a good sense of what we were dealing with by getting within arm's length of them. The most a normal magic user and/or demigod would get at that length is what they dubbed 'goosebumps’. They lacked the precision and focus necessary to parse this shit out, which I could collect and process with a few words and a little effort.

 

My vision switched from the mortal plane to what I like to call the ‘Battery’ Plane. In truth, Reality held at least 9 different planes, each representing a different way of perceiving the world. This plane dealt specifically in both positive and negative energies, making it difficult to hide what you had going on the inside. I saw one human-shaped Spectre of Darkness against a wash of whites and pale greys. The fucker had a solid meat suit, but his soul was clearly rotten to the core.

 

I let the spell dissipate and kept my eyes fixed firmly on the humanoid. A Pretty Boy™? Bloodsuckers like him did far better in spaces that were a little more crowded than a town like this. He knew I was staring at him but didn't seem the least bit fazed. Heck, he was even smiling, pearly whites gleaming in the twilight.

 

Twilight. I wonder what the time-

 

Concentrate.

 

“Manifestus Veneficium (Detect Magic),” I breathed. This needed a tad more effort than the last. Detecting someone's alignment is usually a cakewalk. (Unless, of course, I was dealing with a god/demigod. Then things got weird.) I had to get this right. Low cunning ran in spades with Pretty Boys. Fantastic Bastards like these were more than willing to dox a guy the moment he had his guard down if it netted them in the black.

 

His flinch took me aback. He could not possibly know that I had cast a spell. I have neither used what mortals call a 'spell slot’ nor have I used much in the way of energy. The spells that I've used thus far are the magical equivalent of flipping to infrared vision in COD. I was merely reading the energies.

 

My spell revealed an aura of darkness. Interesting. Darkness was synonymous with things like fear, but I would have to get closer to get a better idea of what he was peddling. The aura framed his head in such a way that it made his facial features pop out. The last light of the sun revealed a white face with a smooth complexion, a square jaw, and brown hair. No facial hair except for two thin lines perched atop his eyes. It might have been a pleasant sight if I didn’t know that the man was Evil.

 

Almost at the front door. Time to act. I reached into my pocket and searched for my grimoire. My eyes bulged. It wasn't there. A tactical retreat. But where the fuck was my grimoire? My backpack! I detested the boy, but Donny's room was sounding more agreeable with each of the monster's steps.

 

“Fuck this shit,” I said. If David arrived anytime soon, he would be fine. The monster won’t pull anything too rash while in such a densely populated area. I’m strong. I can stand in the face of Evil; however, I had to remind myself that not all fights were worth the cost. I am not a hero. My safety was of the utmost importance. I fought bad guys on my terms and, outside of my family, my terms alone.

 

I turned and scuttled up the stairs only to come face to face with Donny.

 

“I'm ready.” He said. His skin was caked in sweat. He was twitching. Fuck, he was out of it for real.

 

Ding-Dong.

 

“Oh shit, he's here.” He hissed. Eyes wide, the boy practically sprinted down the hallway, then took a left at the end of the corridor. I was stunned.

 

He knows the monster.

 

I heard footsteps from within the house drawing progressively nearer. D's Father. Fuck my life. I came here to avoid having to spend another night alone doing more of the tedious bullshit my teachers shove down my throat every day. And somehow one of these fucking devils managed to ruin everything. I'm so tired of this shit.

 

I glided down the hallway then took the left. Donny's door was wide open. I peered inside. The room was minimalist, spotless.

 

The boy was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking down on the floor. My backpack was just to his left.

 

“Are you okay?” I said, trying to be sincere.

 

“I'm fine.” He mumbled.

 

I closed the door and pulled the chair from under his desk toward his bed. It was time to talk this shit out, man-to-man.


	4. Interlude: Magic for Dummies

To the Demigod Reading This:

 

Demigods generally have a pretty tough time adjusting to the dangers that the real world posed, but I came out of those first few years with my house in order so to speak. However, the measures I took to achieve that created problems that I certainly did not expect.

 

Take, for instance, my time in NYC. A place like that should have a lot to offer a boy. It did, but, it was pretty hard to enjoy the City when it housed Olympus. The City of the Gods drew a fuck ton of monsters. When I was young, I felt like an ant in a sandbox with giant worms that could come up from beneath me and eat me at any moment.

 

The only ally I had in that fight was my Mother. She wouldn't necessarily protect me. If I stumbled, she wasn't there to clean the scrape on my knee. (My Dad, who's a doctor by the way, was more than willing to help in that regard.) However, she did teach me how to mend wounds that would normally take days, sometimes even months in no time flat. Necromancy was one of the first things I had learned as a novice. It was an innate power of mine by virtue of the fact that Hecate is the goddess of necromancy. And thank the Gods for it. If I didn't have necromancy backing me up, I'd definitely be dead by now.

 

Necromancy is part of the reason why I chose D&D as the device through which I exerted Influence on Reality. It was one of the few properties that actually understood the nature of necromancy. As children of Hecate, we wield power over both life (positive energy) and death (negative energy), as they are inversely related to one another.

 

The other important aspect of my strategy concerning monsters is the myst.

 

The myst shrouds mortals from the sight of anything even remotely supernatural. Doesn’t necessarily protect them from the supernatural, but who gives a fuck? They've got enough bullshit to deal with on a regular basis. The least of which should be any interaction with things like us.

 

The myst serves as a guide for Reality. It gives a very good idea of what life would be like from a mortal's perspective. The Gods make active use of my Mother's gift to the world, and rightly so. Privacy is important and it allows them to be 'normal’ when interacting with the mortal world. The Children of the Gods are no different.

 

My Clan uses a more in-depth focus on the myst than the average demigod. The myst can be used to impart certain aspects of our demigod powers that have a little difficulty manifesting themselves. You see, the First Titanomachy was the first War to be waged between Deities. The Brothers’ Three didn't cast down Mount Orthys overnight. They needed aid from a couple Titans to win their war. My Mother said that she would aid them, if they granted her some level of power over their spheres of influence. And they agreed.

 

Henceforth, Hecate became the ‘goddess of magic’. Her Influence in the new world order was confirmed at the founding of Olympus. However, that power doesn't necessarily translate over to her kids so easily. We act more as a Priest class, always dependent upon the deity in question rather than relying on our own innate power. The myst acts as an intermediary between us and the Gods. We must exert our 'magic’ manually, the Gods partly intervene on our behalf.

 

Say I wanted to call down lightnings. If it made no sense in Reality for the lightning to strike, it won't. Whereas a Child of Zeus, like that Thalia girl, could call it down with little to no effort. And even if it did make sense, the deity in question, in this case Zeus, could simply say no. You got that right. Carefully crafted rituals that took hours to complete could be rendered useless because a god was having a bad day.

 

As I've alluded to, magic requires preparation. The more powerful the spell the more preparation was need to bring that force in the world. I could perform most spells with relative ease. Words are wind. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

 

I'd have thought trying to learn the Latin required to speak my will into existence would be difficult since I had been told that my brain was wired for Ancient Greek, but the words flowed with ease. Learning it was a lot like pouring water into a bottle. Except the bottle was endless. Knowledge was power. And power felt good.

 

Power came with an extraordinary cost. Mother was key to my coming to terms with what at the time felt like information overload. I could feel all the energies. Everything. Whether they be positive, negative, the myst, and any number other shit floating around. I'm pretty sure I could sense the wave particles generated when someone speaks into their cell phone. Eventually, I could tune most of it out. (Thank the myst for that). But that shit nearly drove me crazy.

 

Not to mention the Curse. No TV. No cell phone. No video games. At least not at home. Most bits of tech aren't that bad (except the cell phones). But my fear of a potential monster encounter drastically impacted my ability to interact with other people when I was a teen. I still get by though. I'm trying to 'make it’ out in the real world. I've made some inroads in that department. Maybe you can too.

 

Yours Educationally,

 

Andrew


	5. Thursday 28th, 2017 6:13 pm

Donny pulled himself up and met my eyes. He stared blankly, but his behavior up to this point made me think there was tons of shit going on inside his head. Calculating. Trying to get my angle. I would oblige. At least that way, he can't say I didn't try. Always have to keep a solid paper trail with boys that had no sense.

 

“You seemed kinda hung up on the man who just rung the doorbell,” I said, testing. Had to get this right if I wanted this intel. “I just wanted to see what that was all about.”

 

He paused, then licked his lips. He paused for a few heartbeats before starting again.

 

“I'm just pissed that my Dad won't let me set up our shit in the living room.” He mumbled. He took a quick glance to his right. “Dad didn't tell me that someone was coming over until 3 pm. And I didn’t have a way to tell you because you don't have a phone or the Internet.”

 

I took a moment to breathe. Not until three, he says. Could it be a coincidence? If not, then how did he find out that I would be present here of all places. I doubt his father would be throwing my name around to his buddies. I settled on plausible deniability and continued my line of questioning.

 

“You don't seem to like the guy very much,” I said gently. Doup. I've got to walk lightly around any potential Daddy issues. I'm not the boy’s therapist. I cut in just before he could open his mouth to speak. “Your Dad's friend, I mean.” There. Perfect.

 

He gave me a wicked side eye. Venom. Step lightly or he might just bite. He composed himself.

 

“The guy rubs me the wrong way on a number of different levels,” he said. This time more forward than before. “I mean…he's never hurt me or anything, but he feels wrong. Like, my skin crawls whenever I'm near him.” He relaxed his back and clutched his knees. He seemed lost in thought.

 

That fit the textbook description of an evil monster/mortal interaction perfectly. Some men were just unpleasant to be around. The myst was mighty powerful, but it couldn’t hide bad character traits.

 

I couldn't end my investigation just yet. I had to keep pressing deeper. If I was going to be successful, I needed the whole truth, not what’s passable.

 

“Do you happen to know when this man began to interact with your father?” I pressed.

 

“The first time I had seen him it was at a county fair just outside of Wayne about midsummer. He, my Dad, and a few of his other friends had hit it off, so they decided to get some drinks later that same week. They've been in almost constant contact with one another. Every other day, really. But this is the first time he's come over our house.”

 

Wayne. Interesting.

 

He paused waiting for a response. I hesitated. Stunned really. I hadn't expected him to be so forthright with this information. It was too easy. What happened to all the weird quips and awful manners. Perhaps this was a serious enough situation for me to take him into my custody.

 

And by custody, I meant my Mother.

 

For his own good, of course. It's not like I'm going to have him thrown into one of my Mother's pots or something. I just want to get him out of the house. The monster's aura of darkness could be partially muted by the myst, but that didn't stop its effects completely. Continued exposure to such intense negativity would fuck up just about anybody.

 

A detox, of sorts. Only for a day or two while I-.

 

“Ummm,” Donny hummed. “Are you ok-”

 

“I'm fine.” I spat out, annoyed with myself. Lost in thought with no concern for my audience. Fucking Christ.

 

“Chill, dude. I'm j-just asking.” He said, peeved. I wanted to bite back, but I stopped myself.

 

I was supposed to be the strong one. Come to think of it, maybe I've been a bit hard on the boy. The stress from the monster's presence was bringing out the worst aspects in him. And I was letting the same happen to me. I could solve so many of my problems if I just got this right. I composed myself.

 

“...I'm...sorry,” I relented. “I need to chill out for a bit. How about we head out of the house and hang out in the Little City.”

 

An olive branch, if only from my point of view. It was worth a try.

 

His jaw dropped slightly. Lips curving in a slight smile. Eyes wide. Hope.

 

“Uh, sure. Why not?” He said quietly. He moved to get his things in order.

 

I stared after him when a thought hit me like a truck.

 

My grimoire.

 

I rushed over to my backpack and ripped it open. I needed my grimoire. If that book was not in my hands when I went downstairs, I had a feeling I would be in a world of trouble.

 

There. Right between my laptop and my notebook. I reached down and pulled it out. It was good to feel the power thrumming in my hands. I cupped it in my right palm.

 

Safe.

 

“Okay, I'm ready.” I heard. Donny seemed a bit more upbeat. Good.

 

“Shall we take your car?” I asked. I did not feel like waiting for the bus this late in the proceedings.

 

“That was not my car,” he said. “It was my Dad’s.”

 

“Fuck!” I half-shouted.

 

Ding-Dong.

 

He smirked. “Don't worry. David has a car.”

 

I smiled. This might not be that bad after all.


	6. Thursday October 28, 2019 6:29 pm

As we made our way out of Donny's room, I gave the boy a once over. He seemed a tad more upbeat. He'd washed himself of the sweat and tears. He put on an entirely new outfit. Cool and casual. No cap this time around. Luscious dark curls fell down to his shoulders. If he brushed his hair, it wouldn't be that big of a stretch to say that he was good looking. But I had a feeling that Donny just wasn't that type of guy.

 

Hygiene aside, I was content with the situation at present. Normally this would be the part where I began making moves toward befriending him, but I would not forget how this guy treated me these past few days. I hadn't so much procured an ally as a pawn to be played when the time was right. A pawn but a useful pawn in the game at hand. The revelation that literal hellspawn had been active in my town for months shook me to my core. But without making an attempt on my life? No, there was more going on here than met the eye. I would need a few more pairs of eyes and ears to stay abreast to the goings on in this household. And the whole town for that matter. Every bit of information counted when facing down against bloodthirsty mongrels like these.

 

We reached the top of the staircase. I moved to take my first step when Donny called out in a high pitched screech.

 

“Dad! I'm heading out!”

 

No response.

 

“Dad!” He said. This time a little bit louder.

 

Nothing.

 

He rushed down the stairs. I didn't follow him until I was sure he was at least a few feet ahead of me. Then, I took care with each step down the stairs while Donny made for what I presumed was the Den. By the time I reached the landing and turned toward the back of the house, the boy had just poked his head into the old man's mancave.

 

After a few seconds, he turned and made a face. Annoyed. Frustrated.

 

“He’s not here.” He huffed. He's not here. Then where the fuck could he have gone?

 

Ding-Dong.

 

David.

 

I made my way toward the door and looked through the eyehole. Sure enough, David had arrived. I unlocked the bottom lock on the door and opened it.

 

“Hey, dude. What's good?” I said.

 

“Fine. Sorry I'm late.” He took a step through the archway and I obliged.

 

He was the thick stud jock to Donny's stoner boy persona. I thought that that was a nice change of pace in comparison to that fucking weasle just down the hall. At least he had a quasi legitimate excuse for ditching the assignment: football practice far outweighed anything I had going in my high school career up 'til this point. He might not be the quarterback, but he had recruiters scouting him out. I wasn't involved in any campus activities whatsoever, largely out of fear of the possibility that I might draw monsters toward civilians. Civilians, mind you, that had no real defense against the supernatural.

 

He marched down the hallway. And I followed closely behind. Damn, he was thick. I'm not one to gauk, but the man sure did have a nice pair of shoulders.

 

David's voice took me out of my trance. I flushed. This time I definitely couldn't blame my ADHD for my lack of concentration.

 

“Oh, hey dude,” He said, clearly surprised. “How's it going?”

 

“Fine. Just got back from changing my clothes.” He said. He sounded relaxed. Good. This would go much more smoothly.

 

“Ah… David.” Donny started. I swelled up. This was the first part of my plan. It was best if the host was the one to introduce the possibility of disengaging from the original task. “My Dad doesn't really want us anywhere near the house right now. We were thinking of ditching the assignment and heading into the Little City instead.”

 

David seemed taken aback. “You sure you guys don't just want to head over to my house. I'd be a bit crowded but I think I could manage to host.”

 

Crowded. Hm. Something that I could use to keep his mind occupied while driving.

 

“Why not?” I said, trying to put on a nice face. I couldn't let them on to just how stressed out I really was. I wanted out of this house as fast as possible. “I've got cash. It'll be fine. What could possibly go wrong?”

 

A door slammed open.

 

“Hey kiddos,” someone said as he burst out of the basement. I hadn't heard that voice before. “How's it going?”

 

All three of us paused and looked toward the direction of the voice. It was the monster, Bat Man. I started straight into the fiend’s eyes. Brilliant bright blue. But those were not natural. Not one bit.

 

We locked eyes. And he gave me a wide smile in return. Just lovely.

 

The bastard had plan.

 

“Just fine, thank you.” David responded. Holding onto his words for a decent amount of time. The boy wasn't slow on the uptake. It didn't take a demigod's powers to sense the darkness.

 

“Evil is real.” I murmured under my breath, hoping that he'd hear.

 

He glanced in my direction and gave me a side eye. Bingo.

 

“Whatcha say there, sonny?” The monster said. My guess was that he tried to cut in before anybody talked.

 

“Nothin’, sir.” I said. Short and sweet. Yeses and nos we're always best in these types of situations. Villain monologues have gotten a number of these critters a face full of fireball, if you know what I mean. I had to be prepared for any opportunity that presented itself. Preferably with fewer witnesses.

 

“You okay, boy?”

 

Wha-Uh. Fucking Christ.

 

“Fine.” I spat. I was not taking any of his shit.

 

Bat Man gave me a look. But didn't say anything. To me anyway.

 

“Ay, Donny-boy.” He said, Brooklyn accent in full force. He moved to make fake jabs at Donny, but the kid took a few steps toward the two of us. Good. He might just learn to trust me one day.

 

The Bat exaggerated his disappointment. I rolled my eyes.

 

“So, where's my dad?” Donny asked. You could hear the fire in his voice. A low burn, but it was something.

 

“He's downstairs setting up something special for you and the boys.” He said with a hint of knowing. What the fuck is on?

 

“Just tell me what I need to know. We're kinda in the middle of something important.” Donny heaved. Good to know he was just as tired of this man's shit as I was.

 

He put his hands on his hips and pocked his head out.

 

“Well then, why don't you take a look downstairs and see for yourself.” He sneered.

 

I took a breath. Counted to three. And opened my grimoire.


	7. Thursday October 28th, 2008  6:41 pm

Grimoires were made with quickfire combat in mind. No matter what, I would always turn to the exact page that I had visualized in my head. And thank the Gods for it.

 

I turned to a page with four red runes. Certain that Bat Man still had his attention on Donny, I made my move.

 

“Incendium.” I commanded. The runes glowed and lifted off the page. They merged together to form a single fireball, floating just before my eyes. I willed the ball forward and sent it screaming straight for the monster's head.

 

A spell like Incendium requires more skill than it appears. Children of Magic have an innate talent for telekinesis, though the degree to which he is able to use it is intrinsically tided to his charisma. Without my intervention, the spark would probably have set off a blaze whose fires could not be put out so easily.

 

Speculative fiction would have you believe that people can just wield flames like it's nobodies business. Heaphestus is the God of Fire for a reason. He won't just dole it out to just anybody. If you wanted the power, you had to earn it. And trust in Him in kind.

 

Magic users derive their 'powers’ from the strength of their spirit. Theoretically, some mortals had potential in that arena. Mortals charismatic enough to draw on my Mother's gift tended to be blinded by the nature of the myst itself. Therefore, those special few who could see through the Viel could potentially craft miracles of their own. So long as they payed homage to the appropriate dieties, of course.

 

“What the fuck?” I heard someone say. David.

 

Before I had the opprotunity to respond, the spell took Bat Man straight in the face. I swelled with pride at the sight. But had to swallow it when those same whisps of flame congealed into a ball and started coming right back at us.

 

Fuck. He can do magic too.

 

“Get back!” I screamed. And prepared a Spell Shield. These types of spells weren't permeable, so Donny could dash through it just fine. Spell Shields were for protection from energy only.

 

Unsuprisingly, David had quick instincts. Years of contact football paying off when he needed it the most. He doubled back and did a heel turn to face the Enemy.

 

Donny was a bit slower but eventually caught up. He got past the shield just in time for impact.

 

The flames did not billow outward. The shield absorbed the energy harmlessly. I let the spell disapate and surveyed the hallway. No real property damage. However, the monster didn't seem to be doing too hot. What had once been smooth skin was now charred and dusty. Which didn't mean much. It would regenerate in due time.

 

Bat Man gave a wide smile, teeth bared. And I heard Donny gasp.

 

“What are you?” He squealed.

 

“Your worst nightmare,” Monster Man growled.

 

“I can do worse,” I screamed back.

 

“You know, I didn't come here to fight you, little godling.” Bat Man said in a cool voice. “All I wanted was to hang out with one of my friends. I'm fucking ancient. Trying to eat Godlings isn't really my style any longer. Especially not my Mother's kids.”

 

My eyes bulged.

 

Then it clicked. You see, up until this point, I'd only ever met female Bloodsuckers (Empousa). They were one of my mother's inventio-, I mean, children. They were meant as Honeypots when dealing with unruley heroes or magically empowered persons that my Mother didn't like. Men crafted their legends with the females in mind, without taking into account the possibility that my Mother might have made strides with the opposite sex.

 

“Godlings?” David whispered. I looked up. Consternation. He's putting the pieces together. Good.

 

“It's complicated.” I said. Let that be enough for now.

 

“Indeed,” the monster agreed.

 

I glared. Could he actually be a functionally stable bloodsucker? I had to parse out the truth from the lies.

 

“Here's how it's going to be,” he said, back straight. His shirt was quite revealing. “I'm going to play footsie with Donny's Daddy, while you and your friends go out and play.”

 

I was stunned. He was just going to let us go.

 

“Okay.” I said. Emotionally exhausted just wouldn't do my current mental state justice. I felt empty.

 

“Wha-But…” Donny said. It was tough to watch. But I just couldn't afford to have a full on fight with a magic user in such a tight space.

 

“We've got to get out of here,” David cut in. “If they fight, they could blow the entire place apart.”

 

If I could kiss that boy on the forehead, I would.

 

“You’re a hell of a lot smarter than you look. Did you know that?” Bat Man smiled into his words. The fucker had range, too.

 

David scowled in response and Bat Man's grin only got wider.

 

“By the way,” he said, face serious. “Andrew. I've been told that the Red Fox Inn has reopened. You should check it out.”

 

Andrew. He knows my name. How? Would Mother tell him my name? If so, Wh-?

 

Concentrate.

 

“How do you know my name?” I said. I had to stay on track.

 

“I'm just the messenger,” he said. He put his hands in the air. “If you hadn't been here, I'd have gone over to your house and delivered it.”

 

“Who sent the message?” I inquired. Couldn't be Mother. Otherwise he'd have said that by now.

 

“A godling boy would like to have a word with you,” he said bluntly. Business, then. “His name is Luke Castellan.”


	8. Thursday, October 28th, 2008 6:52 pm

Luke Castellan?

 

Luke Castellan. The Lightning Thief. He nearly orchestrated a war between the Big Three. The boy who's constantly up to no good wants to chat me up. Just the attempt at contact would be high treason in the eyes of the Gods. And he's in league with a douche-nozzle like Bat Man? Gods have mercy on the boy. Being shunned by his demigod community (Camp Half-Blood, I think) must have done a real number on him. And in this climate? I wonder how he even survives.

 

The man didn't interrupt my train of thought. Good. I straightened my back and crossed my arms.

 

“Why me?” I asked. This was crucial.

 

“A storm is coming,” he said. Face deadpan. Serious business. “The boy has a certain... charm. Just hear him out. I'm sure Mommy wouldn't be upset if you went on a playdate with him. Who knows? If you play nice, he might invite you over for a sleepover. You could make a friend, Andy.”

 

I glared. He smiled. He seemed relaxed. In control. My skin crawled at the sight.

 

But it was true. I needed friends. Badly.

 

“We all need somebody to lean on from time to time. An alliance with another demigod wouldn't be a bad place to start. And, in my professional opinion, he is one of the few who knows what they're doing.”

 

Loneliness or befriend an Enemy of the Gods? Geeze, what could a boy do? I squinted my eyes.

 

“You sound like you’re tryna to help me,” I said. Doing the best I could to sound suspicious. Testing. He needed to think that I might be willing. It's just safer that way.

 

He lifted his eyebrows. Amused. “Maybe I am,” he said. “Or maybe I just want to get in good with my boss. Judging by your lineage,” he made quotation marks in the air. I rolled my eyes. “you should have a good idea of the type of man I am by this point. You decide.”

 

Boss. Interesting.

 

For some reason, my lips quirked. A half-smile but a smile nonetheless.

 

“Why not both?” I said, smiling into my reply. I wouldn't trust him an inch and I couldn't kill him outright, but we were family. Kinda.

 

That had to count for something.

 

“That’s the spirit,” he replied. He looked down at his toes. I resisted the urge to turn to the next page in my grimoire. Barely.

 

He looked up.

 

“So, you gonna head out soon?” He said matter of factly. “If so, are you taking the boys or not?”

 

My eyes went wide. I had completely forgotten they were present.

 

I looked to my right side to find the two of them staring back at me. Pleading. Donny looked like he was on the verge of tears. I felt a cold pang in my chest. Fuck, this was brutal.

 

Bat Man's voice filled the silence.

 

“You could keep them with me,” he said in a low voice. “Head off on your own. I'll take good care of them. I've already had my meal for the day. I won't bite. This time.”

 

I hated to admit it but the bastard had a point. Loose ends wouldn't do me any good in the long run. Would he keep his claws off of them long enough for me to take care of business? What if I let them go? Into the world? They needed a mind wipe if nothing else. Donny could not be trusted to behave logically in his mental state. David seemed fine, but most men tried to suppress their emotions. Anything could be going on in that head of his.

 

I could only be sure that I was safe if they were safe. I needed to keep them close. And David still has his car.

 

Hm. Babysitting it is, then.

 

“I’ll take ‘em,” I said confidently. They both looked relieved.

 

Monster Man gave a neutral expression. And shrugged.

 

“Fine by me, kiddo. Just make sure they keep quiet. For their sake. And his Daddy's too.” He pointed to Donny. The boy flinched.

 

“Yes, sir,” Donny said quickly.

 

David remained quiet. Pensive.

 

“Sure. I'll be on my way, then.” I said. The boys made for the door. David more quickly than Donny. I turned to follow.

 

“Remember,” his voice rung out. Firm. I stopped in place. “The Red Fox Inn. Wayne. Tonight preferably. He doesn't have much time before he has to bounce.”

 

Red Fox. I'd heard that somewhere before. Oh. The Monster House. Red F-

 

I heard the door open.

 

I walked out the door and watched as they went down the steps. They were huddled together, talking as they walked. I stepped out the door. A few moments later, I heard the door close.

 

I was tad unnerved, but I was content.

 

“Aye, Andrew,” I heard David cry out. “Get your shit together. We're heading out in a few moments.”

 

He was clutching Donny. The boy was crying. I only starred. No words.

 

“Cool Beans. Where exactly?” I asked. I started walking over to them. I had to remain calm.

 

“My place. He needs somewhere to crash. And I'm more than happy to oblige.” He said. Solid.

 

Cool guy.

 

“Great,” I said. Keeping my voice level.

 

“Um,” he paused. He looked down at me awkwardly. He licked his lips. “Anything you need. I'm your guy.”

 

An opening. Could he have heard Bat Man's last words? If so, this would go a lot more smoothly.

 

I straightened. It was worth a try.

 

“Red Fox, remember?” I asked. Firm. I tapped into the myst. “You’re driving us to my Mom’s Inn in Wayne to crash and eat some free pizza.”

 

I wasn’t lying. Half-truths were just fine for boys like me.

 

He gave a toothy grin.

 

“Yeah…” he mumbled. His face brightened. “You got it, dude.”

 

My tummy fluttered. I kept a straight face. Somehow.


	9. Interlude: This is Sparta!

Most kids stare into the woods on a dark and dreary night and feel a shiver go down their spine. Down their appendages too. But I was a peculiar boy. And, most importantly, a child of Hecate.

 

Walking in the woods in the dead of night (Heh. Get it. Dead of night.) was probably a bad idea considering my lack of any real training up 'til this point. (My demigod-ness had sprung into effect not too long ago, by the way.) But the night was in full swing. I felt alive. More alive than I had ever felt in all my 13 years. I needed to get out of the house. To explore. The darkness, that was. I was not a creature of the night, but I was born of it. Perfectly natural.

 

Out the window. Down the side of my Upper East Side apartment building. Ladder by ladder, I glided. Once I got to the last ladder, I hopped down to the side alley. Figured that clearing about 12-15 feet of solid air wouldn't be that big of a deal since I was the scion of a goddess. And who would’ve thunk it?

 

I was just fine.

 

I went into a full sprint down the alleyway. Passed some people in dark clothes. One had tattoos on their face. The other had bright red eyes.

 

Red eyes.

 

I shot out on the street. Calm. One step. Two steps. Three steps. Four. Then a left. And a right. And-

 

I leaped into the street. I glanced to up.

 

Center of the street. Red Light. Pedestrians away. Darnit!

 

The monsters might still be on my trail.

 

Dumbass that I am. I hoped that the monsters would just get lost after I slipped through traffic. But no. Now I had to get a little more crafty.

 

I decided to head down a path toward Central Park. Draw them out. Kill them. Head deeper into the park. Experiment.

 

No.

 

Use the monsters as experiments themselves. Myst and magic both. It's the best chance I've had for practice in a few days. I've got to try. Dad wouldn't be happy if I stayed out too long. I'd just have to make this quick.

 

Car careens off the street. To avoid me.

 

Woops.

 

Dad definitely wouldn't be happy if he found out about that. But I'd find a way around him. I always did.

 

Closer and closer. My Dad's rooms weren't that far from the Park. I always preferred Fort Byron to anything else in the city. But my options were limited. No crowds to slip in the middle of the night.

Besides Byron was a good hour-long subway ride away. Central wasn't that far away and it's big. Like super fucking big. So much shit to do and all of the nighttime to do it. Government cameras or whatever might be on every leaf of the place but, uh, fuck 'em. I was a kid. I wasn't doing anything all that crazy. Just using my dark night powers to kill some monsters. Nothing to see really.

 

Almost there. No accidents. Sweet. Don't need my old man lightin’ me up over more than what I'll more than likely get up to tonight. The myst can only go so far. And I can only hope that I don't rack up a body count. That the police can trace back to me, that is.

 

The last street before the Park was clogged full of cars. Good. I slipped between each one on my way across the street. The light turned green. But they held in place in anticipation of my crossing.

 

Bmmmmm!

 

I flipped the driver off. He revved his engine in response. Asshole. I thought really hard about pushing his car backward. And it slammed straight into the car just behind it. Cause fuck him, that's why.

 

I got to the other side of the street. A few horns were still going strong after the ‘accident’. I smirked and didn't look back. Monsters. Where are fucking monsters hiding? They wouldn't even need my scent at this point. Just follow the trail of destruction and chaos. But then again. That pretty much summed up most NYC nightlife. Add the vile stench of the lowlives crawling around these parts and the BO coming off of all of the homeless people and I might just make it out of the night without any incidents of any real note.

 

I heard a noise in the distance. Big noise. Like a crowd. I looked up and was greeted with cheers. Cheers. Central Park was known for its concerts. But tonight? Dammit. Thank no internet access for my even being here. Then again, I was grateful for this bit of spontaneous activity. Night was in my blood. This could be the first step toward learning about, well… me.

 

Darkness.

 

I wish there was a handbook or something. How to use the Darkness. No School of Witchcraft and Wizardry here folks. Just us Hecate kids and a fuck ton of monsters. And Mum didn't have many kids. She was always willing to help in certain ways. But she would not hold my hand out in the real world. I had to sprout wings and learn how to fly. On my own

 

Daedalus did that much. One chance to escape. With little to no way of knowing whether he would just fall out of the sky. I was different though. Mother had power over the sky. Getting started wasn't hard. I was just now learning to appreciate what that really meant.

 

Thrumming with power. I plowed into the night. Into the depths of darkness. Feeling invincible.


	10. Thursday, October 28th, 2008 7:21 pm

Generally speaking, I found being a passenger on a long drive to be relatively relaxing. Today was just a tad different.

 

No matter what I did, I could not shake the thought of all that had taken place over the last one and a half hours or so. Sure I saved the boys from the Big Bad Bat, but Donny's father…was unfortunate.

 

Mother had made her little minions with some strong magicks baked into them. Dark magicks. Nothing as strong as anything I'm dishing out, though. Upon creation, they'd have a number of talents that would lend toward the successful completion of their respective assignments. The ability to Charm someone was common among the Empousai. His Father had probably been enthralled by the monster weeks before our encounter. If that were the case, the chance of curing him would be approaching zero pretty fucking quickly. At least without some form of divine' intervention. I couldn't let Donny know that. Not yet.

 

Hope. Hope will get him through this in one piece.

 

“How long 'til we get there?” Donny moaned. I hadn't taken their memories of the incident away. I thought it best if they remembered the complexity of the situation I'd just saved them from while we were still in cahoots with one another. Red Fox Inn. Pizza. Nothing else was required.

 

At least for the moment.

 

“Not very far,” David said. In truth, I hadn’t the slightest idea of where the fuck we were. At all. It's not like we were in the woods or anything. This part of North Jersey was easily one of the most highly developed in the Tri-State area outside of actual cities. I just hadn't done much exploring outside of my walks across the Minanter Line into the Little City.

 

Because of, you know...monsters and all.

 

I glanced down at David's phone. I might not be able to use the darn thing but I could at the very least look at it. His...GPS was on. Still not in Wayne. I couldn't see a destination of any kind, so I took that to mean that we had a ways to go.

 

“I've only ever been to the place once or twice,” I lied. Partly. I've been there to chat with my Mother in my Dreams. Not physically. I was dreading having to actually be there in the flesh. It was impossible to say what might be taking up residence at the Inn on a given day. “It’s pretty nice for the most part. Took 'em a while to renovate the place. I think some parts are still shut to the public.”

 

And for good reason. I had a feeling that the 'renovations’ we're never quite going to get done. If you know what I mean.

 

“Figures,” David responded. I glanced back. Only to find Donny laid back in his seat with his eyes shut. Resting. “It only just opened this fall.”

 

He paused. I looked up. We were at a red light. He turned to face me.

 

“I was thinking…” he started. I looked up again. The light turned green.

 

“It's green,” I said before he continued. I was trying my best to avoid this conversation until we were safely behind closed doors. And seated.

 

He put his attention back on the road but continued anyway. He didn't seem all that fazed by multitasking. I'd probably never have as much confidence at the wheel.

 

“What exactly was that thing back there?” He asked. Bolder than anything he’d said for the last 30 minutes. It was going to take time for them to get acclimated to my world.

 

I paused and chose my words carefully.

 

“A vampire,” I said, completely serious. “And a competent one.”

 

This wasn't the first time that I had talked a mortal through this nonsense. Patience was key.

 

“And you?”

 

“I'm a sorcerer,” I said. “I have divine blood coursing through my veins.”

 

“Godling.” He said, staring straight ahead. He was very calm considering the subject at hand. Maybe he had an easier time talking to me without actually looking at me.

 

“A demigod of the Greek variety,” I said. I took a deep breath. “I am a son of Hecate, the goddess of magic.”

 

He paused.

 

“Anything else I might want to know?” he said.

 

I sat there for a few heartbeats waiting for the words but nothing really came. I'm not sure what had gotten into me, but I had a hard time twisting the truth. I had to be honest. And that made me chafe.

 

“We’re headed for my Mom's Inn. There might be some monsters there, but they're friendlies. It'll be okay. Just play it cool.”

 

There. I said it.

 

He gave me a side eye.

 

“I’ll try,” he said.

 

A man of few words.

 

I glanced down at the GPS. We entered town just a few minutes ago.

 

Wayne. It's just outside the city suburbs. Two big streets. And a mall. Well...the Mall for about 25 miles in every direction. Middle-Class town. Not much money to go around but most people get by just fine. Or so I've been told.

 

The Inn was tucked away pretty far into a wooded area on the other end of town.

 

“It had been abandoned about 1-2 years ago,” I said, trying to fill the silence. “The owners at the time simply got up and left.”

 

“Really? Why?” A voice said. Donny.

 

“No idea,” I said. Honest this time. “In fact, whole bottles of some pretty expensive alcoholic beverages were found in the building after it was abandoned.”

 

“Shit,” he said. He sounded worried. “There's got to be more going on there.”

 

Well... he wasn’t wrong.


End file.
